1、第 PAGE8 頁 共 NUMPAGES8 頁2023年最新的考研英語二真題Crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tears, be they of sorrow, anger, on joy, typically make Americans feel uncomforuble and embarrassed. The shedder of tears is likely to apologize, even when a devastating (毀滅性的) tragedy was the provocation. The

2、observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional outpouring. But judging form recent studies of crying behavior, links between illness and crying and the chemical composition of tears, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterpr

3、oductive. Humans are the only animals definitely known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few, if any, purposeless physiological responset, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance survival. Although some observers have suggested that crying

4、is a way to clicit assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention, So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves. Indee

5、d, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are sh

6、ed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to =cut onion would contain no such substance. Researchers at several other institutions are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr.Pe

7、ter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse and exposure to medication(藥物), to determine whether a contact lens fits properly of why it may be uncomfortable, to study the causes of dry eye syndrome and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure expos

8、ure to environmental pollutants. At Columbia University Dt.Liasy Faris and colleagues are studying tears for clues to the diagnosis of diseases away from the eyes. Tears can be obtained painlessly without invading the body and only tiny amounts are needed to perform highly refined analyses. 31. It i

9、s known from the first paragraph that _. A) shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to American B) crying may often imitate people or even result in tragedy C) crying usually wins sympathy from other people D) one who sheds tears in public will be blamed 32. What does both those responses to tears

10、(Line 6, Para, 1) refer to A) Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness. B) The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers. C) The tear shedder s apology and the observer s effort to stop the crying. D) Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tear

11、s. 33. Counterproductive (Lines 6-7, Para,1) very probably means _ . A) having no effect at all B) leading to tension C) producing disastrous impact D) harmful to health 34. What does the author say about crying A) It is a pointless physiological response to the environment. B) It must have a role t

12、o play in man s survival. C) It is meant to get attention and assistance. D) It usually produces the desired effect. 35. What can be inferred from the new studies of tears A) Emotional tears have the function of reducing stress. B) Exposure to excessive medication may increase emotional tears. C) Em

13、otional tears can give rise to dry eye syndrome in some cases. D) Environmental pollutants can induce the shedding of emotional tears. Text 4 When the government talks about infrastructure contributing to the economy the focus is usually on roads, railways, broadband and energy. Housing is seldom me

14、ntioned. Why is that To some extent the housing sector must shoulder the blame. We have not been good at communicating the real value that housing can contribute to economic growth. Then there is the scale of the typical housing project. It is hard to shove for attention among multibillion-pound inf

15、rastructure project, so it is inevitable that the attention is focused elsewhere. But perhaps the most significant reason is that the issue has always been so politically charged. Nevertheless, the affordable housing situation is desperate. Waiting lists increase all the time and we are simply not b

16、uilding enough new homes. The comprehensive spending review offers an opportunity for the government to help rectify this. It needs to put historical prejudices to one side and take some steps to address our urgent housing need. There are some indications that it is preparing to do just that. The co

17、mmunities minister, Don Foster, has hinted that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may introduce more flexibility to the current cap on the amount that local authorities can borrow against their housing stock debt. Evidence shows that 60,000 extra new homes could be built over the next fiv

18、e years if the cap were lifted, increasing GDP by 0.6%. Ministers should also look at creating greater certainty in the rental environment, which would have a significant impact on the ability of registered providers to fund new developments from revenues. But it is not just down to the government.

19、While these measures would be welcome in the short term, we must face up to the fact that the existing 4.5bn programme of grants to fund new affordable housing, set to expire in 2023,is unlikely to be extended beyond then. The Labour party has recently announced that it will retain a large part of t

20、he coalition s spending plans if returns to power. The housing sector needs to accept that we are very unlikely to ever return to era of large-scale public grants. We need to adjust to this changing climate. 36. The author believes that the housing sector_ A has attracted much attention B involves certain political factors C shoulders too much responsibility D has lost its real value in economy 37. It can be learned that affordable housing has_ A increased its home supply B offered spending opportunities C suffered government biases D disappointed the governmen